The reaction from pro-abortion and pro-life groups to the Obama administration’s decision to withdraw opposition to sales of the morning after pill to women and girls of any age is markedly different.
The Planned Parenthood abortion business is elated:
Planned Parenthood Federation of America president Cecile Richards released the following statement hailing tonight’s announcement by the Obama Administration that they are dropping their appeal to a court ruling this April lifting the age and point of sale restrictions on emergency contraception:
“This is a huge breakthrough for access to birth control and a historic moment for women’s health and equity. The FDA’s decision will make emergency contraception available on store shelves, just like condoms, and women of all ages will be able to get it quickly in order to prevent unintended pregnancy.
“Emergency contraception is a safe and effective form of birth control that can prevent pregnancy if taken within five days of unprotected sex. Planned Parenthood’s 750 health centers nationwide serve nearly three million patients a year, and we know firsthand how critical this decision is for women who need to prevent pregnancy if they have unprotected sex, or if they are sexually assaulted, or if another form of birth control fails.
But leading pro-life groups are condemning the Obama administration. Consider these responses:
Anna Higgins, J.D., director of the Center for Human Dignity at the Family Research Council, said: “The Obama administration’s decision making the morning after pill Plan B available to young girls at any age is a clear example of the administration’s willingness to put politics ahead of the health and safety of girls. We are disappointed that this administration has once again sided with its political allies and ignored the safety of girls and the rights of parents.”
Alliance Defending Freedom Litigation Counsel Catherine Glenn Foster: “The lives and health of young girls should be more important than the bottom line of those who sell abortion-inducing drugs. President Obama has yet again sided with Planned Parenthood, his favorite political ally and the single largest distributor of Plan B drugs–drugs that can destroy a life. Whatever guides this administration in its decisions, it is apparently not the health and well-being of our daughters and granddaughters. The administration’s decision is nothing short of shameful.”
Americans United for Life President Charmaine Yoest: “It’s important to remember President Obama’s own concerns about distributing such drugs without adult supervision,” noted Dr. Yoest. When Health and Human Service Secretary Kathleen Sebelius first decided that young girls could not buy such drugs over the counter, but instead would need a prescription, President Obama told reporters:
“The reason Kathleen made this decision is that she could not be confident that a 10-year-old or an 11-year-old going to a drugstore should be able — alongside bubble gum or batteries — be able to buy a medication that potentially, if not used properly, could have an adverse effect. And I think most parents would probably feel the same way.” “Yes they do, Mr. President,” said Dr. Yoest, who added: “This decision allows the abortion industry to gamble with young girls’ health in distributing a life-ending drug, with no real understanding of the long-term implications on their bodies. Equally troubling, this allows young girls pressured into sex or even abused by adults to be manipulated into taking pills that cover up what is a criminal act.”
“Young girls need medical supervision in taking such a potent and potentially life-ending drug,” said Dr. Yoest. “The implications for informed consent — and the long-term health impact on women of all ages — are deeply troubling.”
Concerned Women for America: Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards called the government’s decision “a huge breakthrough for access to birth control and a historic moment for women’s health and equity.” Make no mistake, my friend, there is no shortage in access to birth control across our nation today. This has nothing to do with “women’s health” or justice …
This is a purely political decision, made by those who stand to profit financially from an action that puts ideology ahead of America’s girls and young women. Where is the scientific data and solid reasoning behind a decision that endangers minors? Though President Obama is himself the father of two young daughters, his Administration has abandoned common sense and will allow our nation’s teens and young girls to have access to a highly powerful drug 40 times stronger than birth control. I sincerely fear for the future health and wellness of women and children, as doctors, parents, and pharmacists are eliminated from this very serious conversation about sexual activity, pregnancy, fertility, and overall health.
Human Life International president Father Shenan J. Boquet: “The Obama administration’s agenda of unrestricted abortion and contraception does not empower women, nor will it improve women’s health in any way,” said Father Boquet. “By allowing very young girls to purchase powerful drugs like Plan B without parental notification or medical consultation this administration is showing a complete disregard for the health of young women, who may also end up unknowingly killing their unborn children.”
“The FDA claims that Plan B One-Step will not stop a pregnancy, but this statement is deceptive and completely ignores recent large studies indicating that Levonorgestrel-only contraceptives, such as Plan B, most often do not block ovulation and may result in the death of a tiny living human being by inhibiting implantation after conception,” said Father Boquet. “In other words, Plan B is most likely not a contraceptive at all, but an abortifacient pill. So while real abortion deaths will rise, these deaths will never be recorded in ‘official figures,’ and it will be as if these innocent lives created by God never existed.”
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“Allowing young girls unrestricted access to these drugs could lead to long-term health problems in their adult life, and sends the dangerous message that there is a ‘safe’ way to avoid the natural consequences of risky sexual behavior,” he said. “This message risks leading young women to objectify themselves for use by men, and to not see themselves as loved and valuable. This is a lie, and is denigrating and dangerous for young women who will be more likely to take risks with the false belief that there is a safe ‘Plan B.’”
“Further, making ‘emergency contraceptives’ as freely available as Aspirin provides a convenient method of hiding the sexual abuse of young girls, and creates the potential for already skyrocketing STI rates to increase even more,” said Father Boquet. “The assault on young women by those pushing a culture of abortion and contraception in the U.S. and around the world only serves to line the pockets of special interests while the morality of society decays, human lives are lost, and the health of women suffers.”
